A gently illustrated text that will appeal to die-hard completists.
The World’s Finest answer emails from middle schoolers.
Superman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, and more correspond with their fans in this middle-grade graphic novel, multiple vignettes hanging on the throughline of heroes answering fan mail. Some are silly while others are a bit more weighty; all are illustrated amicably by Duarte. There’s a hazy, muted quality to the colors that ground the Justice League and their foes in an approximation of the real world. This grounding compliments the novel well: The transition from Arthur “Aquaman” Curry’s thwarting Black Manta to chatting with his fish and typing away at a laptop would be jarring without this unified color palette. Unfortunately, the coloring’s flatness chips away at the book’s pacing, and the text gets a bit repetitive after a while. It’s all well and good for kids to see bits of themselves in their favorite heroes, but when that’s the book’s only move it gets old quickly. Even at a slim 132 pages, the novel feels overlong. Young fans of the DC characters will be attracted to the cover, but there’s little here to keep them engaged, and few will rank this as a favorite. There’s little exposition regarding the heroes’ background, so those unfamiliar with the characters will feel as though they’re on the outside looking in.
A gently illustrated text that will appeal to die-hard completists. (Graphic fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4012-8413-8
Page Count: 136
Publisher: DC Zoom
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
This thrilling coming-of-age adventure is both quirky and sincere.
Some things you must learn on your own.
In this graphic/prose hybrid, Henry Khoo embarks on a secret mission. Now that he’s 12, the legal age to travel alone, he has plans to fly from his Australian home to Singapore, where his father lives. As he haphazardly navigates his way to his flight, his tangled motivations slowly unfold. Initially it appears he wants to establish his independence, seeking reprieve from the overbearing eyes of older sister Jie, Mama, and wuxia drama–watching Popo. Soon the comedic narration reveals that Henry is confronting myriad issues: his emotionally and geographically distant father; his waning relationship with his best friend; and his need to hide his secret identity as the creator of the Fly on the Wall website. Spawned from Henry’s sense that he’s invisible to all, his online comics illustrate school gossip—and draw the opprobrium of the school administration. As in Lai’s debut, Pie in the Sky (2019), humorous line drawings punctuate the text and reveal Henry’s inner feelings. Flashbacks deftly illuminate Henry’s emotional journey to a wider worldview and eventual ownership of his feelings. Lai has a talent of not preaching to her readers, instead offering the reassurance that no one is alone in experiencing the painful awkwardness and occasionally harsh realities of growing up. Henry and his family are Chinese, and dialogue is occasionally bilingual.
This thrilling coming-of-age adventure is both quirky and sincere. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-31411-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
Themes of positive change thread this tribute to video games, summer camp, and emotional growth.
Can online gaming strategies help a boy escape from summer camp in time for a video game tournament?
Maxwell lives for video games, and qualifying for the Gamerville tournament is his greatest achievement yet. However, recognizing the negative impact excessive gaming is having, Max’s highly protective mother realizes he needs more outdoor time: She signs him up for technology-free Camp Reset, a place she has fond memories of attending as a child, although it conflicts with the tournament. Zanzi, the great-great-granddaughter of Camp Reset’s founder, strictly and enthusiastically adheres to tradition, causing her friends to pull away. Camper Dylan struggles with overcoming his past as a cyberbully. Through his video game lens, Max at first sees other kids as recruitable allies, but he gradually realizes they’re true friends. Still, he’s determined to escape to Gamerville; could strategies he’s learning at camp help? Max’s and Zanzi’s families are Black; the supporting cast is racially diverse. This vibrant, colorful graphic novel shows that change engenders growth and improvement, and that strategies and skills are transferable between very different settings. The lavish facilities (for the small number of campers), minimal adult supervision, and questionable safety protocols strain credulity, but Christmas’ work commendably demonstrates respect for both video game culture and unplugged living, showing the positives and negatives of each while offering valuable representations of Black kids enjoying nature and gaming.
Themes of positive change thread this tribute to video games, summer camp, and emotional growth. (Graphic adventure. 9-12)Pub Date: July 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780063056824
Page Count: 256
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
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